It is now time to present the Creative Initiative Awards for 2008. These awards are intended to reinforce our sense of community and to demonstrate that each and every one of us—working independently and, just as importantly, together—contributes to the success of Dickinson College. The awards are granted to those who have fulfilled their responsibilities in a remarkable way and, by so doing, have contributed to the excellence of the College and our sense of community.

The awardees were selected by a committee from those who were nominated by their supervisors and coworkers. Selection was not an easy task. I and the members of the committee know that there are many, many of you who are deserving of such recognition.

For that reason, this will be the last year that we present the awards in their current format. They will, however, be replaced in the upcoming year by two new awards.

The Red Devil Initiative Award will be given to employees throughout the year to recognize those who demonstrate outstanding performance in the execution of their regular responsibilities. Supervisors and fellow co-workers will both be able to submit nominations. Certificates will be awarded and the recipients’ names posted on the College Web site.

The Above and Beyond Award will be given to those who go above and beyond their normal job responsibilities to make a significant contribution to the College in one of three ways: service, creativity and collaboration. Recipients will be chosen by a committee comprised of at least one individual from each division. The Committee will meet quarterly and the recipients will be acknowledged at the annual Town Meeting in January.

You will learn much more about these new awards in the upcoming year. But now -- the Creative Initiative Awards for 2008. Please come up as I call your name.

Gina Bell, College Relations – For making Alumni Weekend extra special for members the 50th Reunion Class

While fielding many calls and emails in preparation for Alumni Weekend, Gina learned that several couples from the class of 1957 would not only be returning to campus for Alumni Weekend, but also celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary during that same weekend. Gina’s detective work paid off! We were able to recognize these golden couples at their dinner and present them with bouquets of flowers. As you might expect, these couples were extremely touched and followed up with notes of appreciation to Gina for her thoughtfulness.

Linda Bernheisel, Sue Schock and Holly Keller, Dining Services – For their extra effort to make the students’ holiday dinner a memorable occasion

Throughout the past year, Linda, Sue and Holly have been going to yard sales on their own time to purchase small toys and holiday decorations to decorate the Social Hall for the students’ holiday dinner. They have never sought reimbursement for these expenses nor release time. Their selections have been incredibly popular with the students – so popular that students have asked to take some of the toys home with them – a request that these three generous women have readily granted.

Andrew Connell, Library and Information Services—For keeping our college AND home computers running on time

Some of you may not recognize Andrew since he just recently lost his signature pony tail after, I am told, 17 years! But that is not why we are recognizing Andrew today. Andrew is responsible for keeping many of our computers up and running. We all faced an unusual challenge last spring when the new Daylight Saving Time date went into effect. Andrew not only assisted LIS in making certain that all College computers were able to make the switch, he even created a Web page for employees so they could update their home computers. An extremely important and helpful gesture for those of us who remain technologically challenged.

Jennifer Halpin and Matt Steiman, the Organic Farm – For the initiative they have showing in introducing sustainable agriculture to Dickinson College

As many of you may know, over the past year, Dickinson has converted its farm outside Boiling Springs to one that is based on organic, sustainable agriculture. Jenn Halpin and Matt Steiman have been the driving force behind this wonderfully creative development. They have brought their energy, knowledge and commitment to sustainability to Dickinson and, by so doing, are helping to make us a leader in this area. We are all benefiting from this wonderfully creative project through the organic produce that finds its way into our dining halls, and equally important, through the example that Matt and Jenn set. At their suggestion, I am even driving a biodiesel car that runs on recycled French fry oil!

Peggy Kautz, Facilities Management—For going above and beyond during stormy weather

Peggy is one of those employees you can always count on. She will always come in when called to take a shift for which she was not originally scheduled. Peggy lives within walking distance of the College. Several times when the College was shut down for bad weather, Peggy chose to walk to Dickinson to check her buildings and to take the trash out. Peggy, thanks for making this extra effort.

Brenda Landis, Library and Information Services—For using her expertise to enhance the curricular and extracurricular experience for our students

Brenda was nominated by two individuals. One of our faculty members wanted to make certain Brenda was recognized for the remarkable assistance she provided to the students in a service learning class. Brenda spent countless hours working with the students to develop Web sites and to help them prepare their final public presentations. Brenda has given similar time and assistance to WDCV, the College radio station. She has helped students develop a growing professionalism in on-air behavior and her work with students from various classes has led to a novel series of short informative broadcasts that will air during Spring semester. These are amazing accomplishments – especially for a busy mother of a two-year old!

Kyle Smith, Facilities Management—For serving as an exemplary ambassador for Dickinson College

Last September, Dickinson held its first on-site job fair. Kyle agreed to provide information about his own work experience at Dickinson for the printed brochures. On the day of the event, Kyle not only welcomed prospective applicants, he also made certain they stopped first at the Campus Operations table to talk with representatives from Facilities Management and Dining Services. If they were interested in other jobs, he walked with them and personally introduced them to those staffing other tables. Kyle made a connection with each person he approached and helped to make the experience both personal and memorable. He was, in short, the perfect Dickinson ambassador.

Tom Smith, Library and Information Services—For his commitment to reducing Dickinson’s carbon footprint.

Tom was also nominated by two individuals for proposing a great way for the College to save energy over the winter break. In an email to Associate Vice President Ken Shultes, Tom wrote, “ I have been doing some calculations and come to the conclusion that all of our equipment in the smart classrooms is using a total of well over 1 KW just sitting there turned ‘off.’ With the long January break, I think it would be a ‘green’ thing to do to unplug everything at least for the closedown period.” Tom took the initiative to contact all of his coworkers and the Conference Office to determine if this would cause any technical or scheduling problems. His application of a low-tech energy-saving solution is an example of how an individual can make a difference in supporting the campus sustainability initiatives, save the College money and raise awareness about reducing our carbon footprint.

And our final Creative Initiative Award goes to the individual who has made today’s visual presentation possible -- Paul Dempsey, College Relations – Who was nominated for the extra effort and time he has expended to create a pathbreaking, user-friendly Trustee Web site

Over the past several years, our trustees have been asking us to develop a way to distribute meeting materials and other documents electronically. Emailing this volume of material is simply not possible. Paul came up with another solution – a password-protected Trustee Web site that contains all pertinent information. The site recently went “live” for the upcoming meeting of the Board. Not only is it extremely user-friendly, but it dramatically cuts down on the amount of paper generated for each trustee meeting, thereby contributing to our commitment to environmental sustainability. It also provides a central and easily accessible repository for Trustee materials. Needless to say, as with so many projects, this one took on a life of its own and ended up demanding a great deal of Paul’s time. The result, however, is an extremely innovative method for communicating with trustees that sets the bar for other college and university boards.